O, Christmas Tree
by tbehartoo
Summary: Adrien's former Christmas traditions lead him into creating new ones with Marinette


"Adrien," Marinette sighed while shaking her head, "We do not need a four meter tall Christmas tree!" At the dumbfounded look on his face she facepalmed before explaining, "Our ceilings are barely three meters tall, my love!"

"But Mari," Adrien whined, gesturing at the gorgeous fir tree that stood tall next to his equally stunning wife, "It's like, the perfect tree! It doesn't have a bad angle anywhere."

Marinette put her hand on his arm, "Kitty, we don't have to fill up the huge front hall of that empty mansion with a Christmas tree. We have one small apartment and that tree over there will look absolutely gorgeous in the corner by the window when we're done decorating it."

She pointed to a shorter, but still lovely tree a few rows over.

Adrien eyed the tree for a few moments then sighed in defeat. "Why do you have to be so reasonable, Bugaboo?"

She grabbed his arm as they started walking toward the indicated conifer.

"I'm only being reasonable about the height of the tree, my dear. Wait till you see me in full tree trimming mode."

Adrien smiled down at her. As Ladybug, she could easily throw Adrien halfway across Paris, barely lifting a finger in the process. As Marinette however, the petite girl was having to struggle to pull his impressive mass across the tree lot. She looked so adorable all wrapped up in her fluffy handmade coat and fuzzy pink hat with her breath coming out in huge puffs. He couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of the petite girl dragging him across the tree lot.

"That'll be a sight for sure," he said lazily daydreaming about how cozy they'd be later on, snuggled up in the apartment next to the fire and a tree overflowing with ornaments.

His smile faltered and Marinette was quick to notice it.

"What's going on Adrien?" she asked quietly. When he seemed reluctant to speak she ran her hand down his arm and captured his hand in both of hers. She added, "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, or we could talk about it later if you need some time to process, but I hope you know I'm willing to listen."

Adrien nodded. "It's just," he looked all around the tree lot, "my mother used to love to decorate Christmas trees. It was something that we did together each Christmas time. She had a theme for each tree, but she'd let me choose the colors of the lights and ribbons."

Marinette stopped short causing Adrien to jerk to a halt.

"What do you mean by ' _each tree_ '?" she asked.

"Well there was the tree in the main hall," he started to count off on one hand, "but father always insisted on designing that tree every year since it would be seen by guests and clients, so we didn't do that one. Then there was the one in the dining room, it always had silver accents to match the silverware, and the one in the den, it had stuffed animals. It was mom's little pun about being in a den. And there was the library tree which had tons of miniature fairy tale and storybooks on it, but that one was fake because mother felt it would be rude to bring a dead tree in, plant it in front of all the books, decorate it, and then toss it when-"

He was interrupted by Marinette's laughter. As soon as she was able to she asked, "Are you telling me you had trees in every room of the house?"

"Well not every room," he was quick to defend himself. "No Christmas trees in the bathrooms or the kitch-" he stopped as he remembered something. "No there was one in the kitchen, but it was made out of cooking utensils and pots so they could be washed and kept clean."

He looked over at Marinette and she was instantly suspicious.

"What?"

He didn't say a word, but started to grin.

"Whatever you're thinking, Kitty, I'm in."

Adrien swooped down to pick her up and whirl her around.

"That's one of the things I love about you, Bugaboo," he nuzzled her neck, "No matter how harebrained or crazy my plans seem to be you'll jump in right next to me."

She kissed the tip of his nose then squirmed to be let down as she said, "We're partners, not just friends, and someone's got to be there to save your tail when your plan goes kablooie."

Adrien chuckled and leaned forward. To any outsider it looked like he was kissing the short woman, but he was taking a moment to whisper his idea quietly so that the two cuddling kwami in Marinette's purse wouldn't be able to over hear.

As he pulled back he couldn't help but kiss the center of Marinette's forehead just under the pink beanie she wore.

"What do you say, My Lady?"

"I say, Yes! And I say we get this tree back to our place as soon as possible so the real decorating can begin!"

The next evening as Chat Noir patrolled, Marinette called Tikki over to look at her laptop.

"What's up, Marinette?" Tikki asked as she settled down on her chosen's shoulder.

"I wanted to talk to you about Adrien's idea from yesterday," Marinette said.

"The one he didn't say out loud?" the little godling said, a hint of sass coloring her words.

"Yes, it's a surprise, and I thought maybe you'd like to help with it?"

"Oh, yes!" Tikki clapped in her excitement. "I love surprises."

"Okay, so Adrien thought that we could make a Christmas tree for Plagg," Marinette said as she pulled up the Pinterest board she'd made last night as the others slept.

"Make a Christmas tree?" Tikki asked wondering why they needed to make one when there were plenty of trees both living and artificial to be had close to hand.

Marinette grinned, "Yup, from cheese"

"Don't cheeses take months to make?" Tikki asked.

"Yeah they do," Marinette said nodding but she started pointing to the various cheese boards that had their contents laid out in the shape of a pine tree, "But we're going to make Plagg a Christmas tree out of cheese like this."

"Oooooh," Tikki squeaked. "He'll love that!"

They spent a few minutes looking at the various cheese boards getting ideas for cheese choices and ways to display the slices and crumbles. That all changed when Tikki started asking how big the whole cheese would be rather than just a wedge. Marinette Googled how big a wheel of cheese would normally be. They found out the biggest cheese was a wheel of Gouda, there wasn't info on the smallest cheese though. Then Marinette remembered that Parmesan cheese used to come in huge columns and tried to find a picture for Tikki. They both looked at the wheels dwarfing their makers and turned to each other the idea coming together almost audibly.

"3D tree?" Tikki asked.

Marinette nodded.

"The base is like that huge wheel of Gouda we saw before with a column of Parmesan in the middle?"

Another nod.

"Moving up with smaller rings of different cheeses?"

Marinette's smile grew wider. "I think we can even have several layers that are different sizes of Camembert."

Tikki's smile matched Marinette's in intensity.

"And we can top it off with a pyramid of Valançay," Marinette proclaimed.

"We could use red and green grapes for lights," Tikki said as she looked at the other items on the cheese boards.

"Maybe we could cut up some star fruit to make star ornaments?" Marinette said still a little distracted as she wrote their idea down. She looked back up at Tikki, "Do you think we ought to do some honeyed pecans?"

Tikki shook her head. "Plagg doesn't really like sweet as much as I do. The fruit is more for decoration than for him to eat." She thought for a moment. "I bet if you did something like super spicy pecans, he'd love that."

"Oh that's such a good idea Tik," Marinette said as she noted it on the drawing. She had another thought. "What if we used some food coloring to dye these little mozzarella balls to look like the ornaments we hung this afternoon?"

Tikki giggled. "That would be so fun, and you could use the colored sea salt to make the glitter on them." A frown crossed her face. "But when and where will we be assembling this tree?"

Marinette frowned then picked up her phone. A few texts later and she was smiling back at Tikki.

"It's all taken care of," she told her kwami. "Chloe talked with Alya's mom and she's clearing off a shelf in the hotel's walk-in refrigerator for us to store everything. And Alya, Trixx, Chloe, and Pollen are in for helping with decorating the ornaments and stringing the lights. We'll have it all ready by Christmas Eve."

Tikki hugged Marinette's cheek. "He's going to love it! I can hardly wait to see his face."

"You have some flour on your face," Marinette said as she greeted Adrien at the door a few days later. She reached up and used her thumb to wipe the white powder from his cheek.

Adrien's blush made her laugh, even as he caught her hand in order to kiss her palm.

"Nino and I stopped by the bakery today for our Baking with the Boys weekly session with Papa Tom," he told her as he started to take off his coat and scarf. "Papa sort of started helping me with something and then Mama got involved and now it's a little more complicated than I thought it would be."

Marinette laughed again but stopped short when Adrien held up the big bag with the very familiar 'T and S' on it.

"Be nice," Adrien said, "or I won't let you taste the rejects."

Marinette snatched the bag away from him and looked inside. The gasp she gave once she viewed the contents was enough for her kwami. Instantly Tikki dove into the bag and came up holding four different kinds of cookies. The fifth cookie, disappearing rapidly in her mouth, made it hard to understand the kwami's words, but it sounded like something that could best be translated as, "Sooooo yummy!"

"Adrien, there must be ten different kinds of cookies in here," Marinette said even as she reached for a sable.

"We made fifteen kinds," Adrien said as he reached in and came up with an orange and ricotta cookie, "but Nino got to take all the peanut butter based cookies home to Alya."

"How did you even have time to make all of these?" she asked in awe.

"We used all the ovens!" Plagg said with something of a smirk as he bit into a dark chocolate cookie. "The one in the house kitchen and all the bakery ovens, too."

Marinette sat down in shock. "My parents shut down all their other baking, at the busiest time of the year, for a project you wanted to do?"

Adrien's urgent throat clearing and gesturing toward Tikki with his eyes made realization dawn for Marinette.

She stood back up, clutching the bag of cookies, and flounced toward the kitchen. "Well I guess we know who their favorite child is, now don't we?"

Adrien hurriedly reached out to grab Marinette before she could get away. He gently pried the bag from her hands and set it on a nearby end table and wrapped her in a hug.

"Yes," he said as he nuzzled her nose, "We know that you are their favorite child." He kissed her cheek. "And they will do anything that helps you to be happy." He kissed down her jaw. "Even if that means helping your ridiculous husband out of a sticky situation."

Plagg's voice could be heard from the direction of the bag, "He means that literally. You should have seen him trying to pipe the ganache on the macarons." Plagg emerged with a green matcha cookie. "Chocolate everywhere!"

They all laughed then grabbed one more cookie so they'd still want to have dinner.

Christmas Eve arrived and both Adrien and Marinette were in a flurry of activity getting decorations and other final preparations for the special evening they had planned. As they dressed for the party Marinette's phone continued to ring with updates from their guests.

"Alya said that she's helping her mother bring ... something over from the hotel," she read off as she latched the necklace Adrien had given her last Christmas around the nape of her neck. "And Nino says that he and Papa are having trouble finding a safe way to get your little project through the door!"

Adrien's laugh rang out as he slipped his foot into his shoe. "It'll be a miracle if they can get it here in one, maybe two, pieces."

A knock on the front door had Adrien hurrying to answer and he greeted their first guest with a warm smile and a hearty hug.

"Chloe! You made it," he said as they exchanged cheek kisses. "And early, too." He gave Pollen a quick fist bump.

"Of course I made it," she said with a scoff. "Marinette asked me to be your greeter while Chat Noir and Ladybug put in a special appearance at Nadja Chamack's Christmas Eve Spectacular." She straightened his tie as she added, "I couldn't very well be late if I'm supposed to let people in could I?"

"No, I guess you couldn't," Adrien said as he stepped back and did a turn for her final review.

"You'll do," Chloe said with a small grin. "Marinette, better hurry up if you don't want to be late."

Marinette hurried into the room with Tikki close behind her.

"We're here," Marinette said as she greeted Chloe. "Just checking that everything will be ready when we get back. Now remember you two," Marinette was addressing her and Adrien's kwami, "we're going to be detransforming in that little room off the lobby downstairs before we get to the party. You're not to show yourselves before the surprise is ready," she was looking at Plagg and added, "even if you smell some really good cheese from the h'orderves or Papas Christmas cookies!" she added as she tickled her kwami's side.

Plagg tried to look contrite, but no one was buying his act. Tikki merely brightened up at the mention of Tom's cookies.

"I don't want either of you to be seen until I've had a chance to look everything over and make sure it's perfect and fix anything that might be in need of some… er, embellishment opportunities."

Tikki giggled. "I'm sure everything will be in its proper place when we get back," she said with a small wink at Chloe's sly smile.

"Yeah," Plagg drawled, "but if anything **goes wrong** ," he shrugged, "that's just how the **cookie** crum- _bles_!"

Plagg cackled in glee when Adrien's face paled. He stopped abruptly when snatched from the air.

"We will talk about vague threats for bad luck amid highly stressful situations later," Adrien hissed at him. Before Plagg could say anything else to ruin the moment, he called for his transformation.

"That should keep the little imp quiet for awhile," Adrien said as he stretched into his suit.

Marinette laughed then turned to her kwami. "Are you ready Tikki?"

Tikki gave Pollen a quick hug then came to hover in front of Marinette. "Say the words Marinette!"

"Tikki, spots on!"

In a flash of pink light, Ladybug stood where Marinette had once been.

"We'll be back in a couple of hours," Ladybug said as she swung out the open patio doors.

"Bee good, honey pies," Chat said and bounded after his lady.

Chloe rolled her eyes while Pollen giggled.

"He says that every time, Pollen. I'd have thought you'd be tired of it by now."

The happy kwami shook her head.

"I never get tired of his puns," she said. "He's a good member of your hive."

Chloe smiled up at her, "As if I'd have anything less than the best?"

The blonde woman looked around, "Now help me clear some space for Plagg's ridiculous monstrosity of a cheese tree."

Two hours later found Marinette and Adrien racing up the steps from the lobby of their apartment building to their front door. Before they went in, Tikki and Plagg were ushered into Marinette's clutch. When Plagg objected Tikki merely grabbed hold of the grumpy kwami and dragged him into the purse while chiding him for being surly during such a festive time.

The happy couple entered to be greeted by quite the sight. There, on the kitchen table, were two trees assembled that left no room for anything else.

Plagg's tree was a fairly subdued tree made up of a palette that ran from winter white to creamy yellow. It was decorated with garlands of green, red, and dark purple grapes twining around the tree. There were miniature globes of mozzarella hand painted in green, blue, and purple with crystal lines of salt patterning them. Small discs of cheese covered in red wax were also used as ornaments. Instead of lights there were small "candles" made up of white, cylindrical string cheese sticks topped with spicy flames of Cajun pecans. At the very tip of the tree sat a topper made of slices of star fruit. Beneath the tree sat blocks of cheese with bows and ribbons made of melted cheese. All manner of cheeses that had been too fragile to be stacked made up the rest of Plagg's presents.

Tikki's tree was only slightly the worse for wear. Marinette could see where some last minute repairs had been done, but that's because she knew what to look for. Green macaron halves had been stacked in descending order with dark chocolate ganache between the cookie layers. A black licorice string had sugarcookie bulbs of every color attached to it as it wound around the tree. Decorations were made of tiny lace cookie snowflakes, diamonds made of cranberry and orange sables, stained glass sugar cookie stars, ginger snap rounds, candy cane cookies, and even balls of sugar coated wedding cookies. White threads of spun sugar acted like tinsel over the tree that was topped with a marzipan figurine- an angelic Tikki. Around her tree were open boxes of various cookies. Cellophane bags tied with neat bows by Sabine held kolach cookies, madeleines, and rugelach. Around all of this was a Gingerbread train the engine of which Tom had to be the main decorator as Marinette knew her husband's icing game was still at an apprentice stage. The train had twelve cars each filled with a different type of cookie!

"I think you went back to Papa's to do more baking," Marinette murmured to him as she prepared to open her purse and let the stars of the evening's festivities join them.

Adrien laughed and merely nodded. Everyone was gathered round to see the reactions of the two very special kwami.

Tikki and Plagg immediately flew out of the purse and immediately saw not one surprise, but two!

Tikki gawked for just a moment at the sweet tree before delightedly zipping around it and remarking on all the treats and kinds of cookies. She happily exclaimed that all of her favorite cookies had been included and then hurriedly gave hugs to Adrien, Tom, Sabine, Nino, and Wayzz.

Plagg was dumbstruck and merely looked at his tree from the same place where he'd first spotted it.

"Adrien, is he- is he okay?" Marinette asked very concerned. She'd never known the little kwami to be without a sarcastic remark.

"I don't know," Adrien said as his brow furrowed. "I think you may have broken him."

"Do you think he's upset because it isn't all just Camembert?" Alya asked.

"No, I know he likes all kinds of cheese," Pollen replied. "I've even seen him enjoy those American cheese slices in the plastic. So it can't be that."

Tikki zipped up next to her partner with a thumbprint cookie from one of the train's box cars.

"Whaddya think Plagg?" she asked as she started munching on her treat. "Do you like it?"

Plagg slowly turned to the little red kwami.

"It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen, Tik," he whispered, unable to find his voice.

A tiny sniff and a quick swipe at his eyes stunned the watchers. Was Plagg crying?

"It was Adrien's idea," Marinette hurried to say. "We wanted you both to know how much we love and appreciate you."

"It turned out to be a little more than I thought it would be," Adrien admitted with a chuckle.

Chloe chimed in with, "I think we might have gotten a little carried away, but it's Christmas and you're supposed to go all out at this time of year."

"And you're worth it," Alya added as Trixx, Pollen, and Wayzz glomped him in a group hug.

Plagg broke out of the hug to fly to his tree. He grabbed an ornament and bit down even as tears rolled down his face. He sniffled and then began to bawl outright as he proceeded to eat the presents under his very special tree.

"I've never seen him so happy," Tikki remarked before flying back to visit her cookie train.

Platters of charcuterie, fruits, nuts, and crackers were produced for the rest of the party guests and soon everyone was enjoying their evening together

Marinette and Adrien were snuggled together on the couch after all the guests had gone home. The room was lit only by the fire in the fireplace and the lights from the tree. Tikki and Plagg were sleeping, cuddled together in their snug little pillow nest in the bedroom. Marinette chuckled to herself as she thought of the little kwamis and their happiness when they saw their trees. She looked up at Adrien who was humming a familiar tune.

"What are you thinking, love?" Marinette asked as she cupped his cheek with one hand.

He looked toward the kitchen where the remains of the edible trees could be seen and then up at the tree they had decorated together. He covered the hand at his cheek with his own, then turned his head to be able to kiss her palm.

"I was thinking about my mother and how happy the time I spent decorating trees with her made me feel," he said as he gently brought their hands to his heart. "And that I was so happy while we decorated our tree here. Even the time, frustrations, and laughs I had with Nino, Papa, and Maman decorating Tikki's tree made me just as happy as when I trimmed the trees with her." He grinned down at her. "I think that decorating with people you love, for the people you love is the best part of Christmas."

"It is," Marinette agreed as she cuddled closer to her happy husband.

They stayed like that for a moment until she burst out laughing. The name of the Christmas carol Adrien was humming was more than a little appropriate. O, Christmas Tree indeed.


End file.
